DS = Double Stone
TS = Triple Stone
FM = Funeral Home Marker
This cemetery is located on Judson Avenue, within view of the Judsonia School campus. Four Senior Girl Scouts at this school - Tara Benton, Samantha Schmidt, Amber Witt
and Angela Witt - fostered an interest that grew into a community service project in 1999. From the campus they had seen the traffic of funerals and occasional visitors
to Evergreen and had developed the idea to prepare a comprehensive census of the cemetery. The Senior Girl Scouts wanted to make research easier for descendents of those
buried here. At the same time, they hoped to help the Evergreen Cemetery Board in raising funds for the upkeep of the cemetery. The completion of their mission would
help them achieve their “Girl Scout Gold Award,” the highest distinction in the Girl Scout organization. Under the guidance of advisors including White County Historical
Society member Mary Spurlock, Wilda Gibson, Carol Witt, Dian Schmidt and Paula Benton, the young women worked the areas and blocks which they had volunteered to complete.
Some had relatives or acquaintances buried here. After hours of writing or rubbing to get names and dates, there was alphabetizing, typing, printing and organizing to be done.
The Girl Scouts researched the information on the GAR monument in the cemetery, learning that the wounds of 1864 had healed by the time the monument was unveiled 30 years later.
In 1894, the strong Judsonia post of the Grand Army of the Republic purchased the memorial and had it set in place in Evergreen Cemetery. On the day of its dedication, two
daughters of Federal soldiers, Ethel Newman and Carly Kinney, and two daughters of Confederate soldiers, Nell Young and Laura Hanson, pulled the strings that removed the
curtain from the shaft. The crowd included many veterans of both the Blue and the Gray, and there was no resentment to be seen or heard when they read the inscription,
“In Memory of the Defenders of the Union, 1861-1865.”

The dark-gray stone with its cannon-ball top is one of the most unusual monuments in Arkansas. At the time of its dedication it was the only GAR memorial
south of the Mason-Dixon line, and it is probable that it still holds this distinction. Around it are 16 graves of Union soldiers, who were buried there after the
monument was erected. It is sometimes erroneously reported that these men were killed in battle. In truth, they were without families or burial lots and died
within a few years after 1894. “These Girl Scouts will always remember this unique incident in White County history,” Mary Spurlock said. “As they drive down
Judson Avenue by the monument, it will be more than just a statue in the cemetery.”

Another memorable experience came when they noticed the many graves bearing the date of March 21, 1952. Not quite 12 years old at the time, Mary Spur
lock had ridden out the storm and could give a first-hand account of the worst tornado in Arkansas history. Her brother was dressed and ready to attend the
Junior-Senior Banquet, but his mother kept telling him to wait till the rain and wind let up. “Instead, the rain got heavier as the roof left the house,”
Mary recalled, “and we all scrambled to get under the bed, but there was water under there, too.” The events that unfolded in the next few hours were
unbelievable as the family made their way down the road, around fallen trees and pieces of tin, to help their neighbors. In the days to follow there was
plenty of sadness for everyone in this small community. By Monday after the storm the Evergreen Cemetery had been cleared sufficiently of huge fallen trees
and other debris to hold a mass funeral for 11 of the 44 storm victims. The four Judsonia Senior Girl Scouts and their consultants spent several hours searching
for the location of the tornado victims. The Scouts were shocked as they realized the ages and how many families and friends were affected.

The Scouts learned from W.E. Orr’s book “That’s Judsonia” that the first cemetery had been located at the northern end of Harrison Street, a site that
was low and unfavorable. The Judson University holdings along Judson Avenue -(now the site of the Judsonia Junior High School) had been bought with money furnished by W. N. Briggs.
In 1874 he released the mortgage on three lots in order that a new burial ground might be formed. Thus, Evergreen Cemetery had its beginnings, and its first graves were for those
remains removed from the original site. The first grave inEvergreen Cemetery was that of Nellie Briggs, W.N. Briggs daughter, who died in 1873. Many of the graves were never
opened in the old burial ground, and all traces of them disappeared years ago.
The Evergreen project was finally finished by the Girl Scouts in late 1999, when they presented the following information to the White County Historical Society, so that it may be
placed at www.whitecounty.us on the world-wide web. Thus, by encouraging awareness of family history, the Girl Scouts practiced leadership skills and personal values together to
serve their country, community, families and friends.

The “Girl Scout Gold Award” project called for each Girl Scout to spend 50 hours working on the project. The Scouts continued to search and study long after this minimum requirement was fulfilled.
Some of the Scouts’ comments that Mary Spurlock recorded included: “How sad that there are many family members who don’t have tombstones.” “How sad that there are so many little ones or babies.”
“I will always remember my family and place flowers on their graves and donate to the upkeep fund, I want their graves mowed and kept pretty.” “Young people don’t think about burial plots, but they should.”
“Just look at the many markers that don’t have death dates on them, why didn’t the family have it placed on after their death.” “I am proud we have learned about where the upkeep money comes
from and how it is spent; every family should make a donation each year; the size of the donation is not important it’s the thought.”

Leroy Blair of the White County Historical Society visited the cemetery several times from November 2000 to January 2001 and provided several pages of updated information.
Updates were also made by Mary Spurlock in February 2002 and December 2002. Leroy Blair also provided additional information in late December 2002. Subsequent additions
were made by the Historical Society based on published obituaries. The original document prepared by the Senior Girl Scouts was divided into areas A through K.
When Eddie Best of the Historical Society incorporated all updated information in February 2002, the lists were combined and alphabetized for easier reading.
The burial site area -(A through K) is indicated in parenthesis beside each name. A copy of the original document prepared by the Senior Girl Scouts may be
found in the Arkansas Room of the Searcy public library. The Senior Girl Scouts and their advisors met and completed Area E as a learning experience in an all-day
meeting, the following assignments were made: Angela Witt - Areas A, D and G; Amber Witt - B, F, J and K; Tara Benton - H and I.

If you have corrections or additions to this list, contact the White County Historical Society at P.O. Box 537, Searcy, AR 72145. Donations for the upkeep of Evergreen
Cemetery may be sent to Mary Spurlock at 1205 East Side Road, Judsonia, AR 72081.